happyWImom Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 I am trying to find a happy medium between school and activities-how can it be done???:confused: Much of it is my own fault, because I need down time, so on the days that we have activities, we do some school, but much of it goes by the wayside. Right now, the problem is that we are trying to get a new hs group together in my town, which is great, but they meet 3 times a month, then I still belong to another group-which we know and love, and it's educational, and that meets once a month, we also belong to 4H, dd has piano, and then if you add in playdates (can't stand the word!), church/bible study, that really adds up. In addition to appointments, etc... Now I know many of you have waaay more than this going on, but for me it's overwhelming. Because it seems like it ends up 3 or more days a week that we have something going on. And we are always rush, rush, rushing. So, how important are all of these activities? The other thing/problem that I've noticed is that the more they do these things, the more they want to do!!! Obviously, I can and do say no, but it's still becoming a problem. I don't want them to have that "entertain me" mentality, and when we're doing. I'm babbling here, and probably just trying to figure it out by getting it all down, but I'm torn. How important is it for them to make friendships? Because that's a big reason I'm doing this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy in TX Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 I think you should do what you can manage without stressing, and no more. I also need a lot of down time, so I understand how you feel--if we are in "rushing" mode too often, it really shreds my nerves. But they do have a genuine need to get out of the house and to mix with other kids. I have four dc, and I want each of them to be out of the house several times a week. That combined with my need for slowness and downtime--well, you can imagine it's not easy. A YMCA family membership has been a great help to us. All four dc swim there 2-3 times a week, so that's something that kills a lot of birds with one stone, as it were. One son and one daughter are involved in scouting, which requires us to go out three nights a month and two Saturday mornings a month. And one daughter belongs to a chess club that meets at our local library once a week, so chess club and library time are combined. How to not feel like we are in "rushing" mode on days when we have to go out somewhere? I find routines to be very soothing. Dinner routines--either have things in the freezer you can just heat up when you get back from something, or have easy dinners certain nights of the week. For example, Wednesday is pasta night always, because pasta with a scratch sauce is something I can put together in half an hour when we get back from the library right before dinnertime. And I occasionally cook lots of entrees, or marinate a ton of fish fillets, then freeze them. They can be pulled out of the freezer & microwaved or the fish done in the countertop Foreman grill in 10 min. Whatever works for you, just so dinner is not a source of stress on activity days. School routines--Know how long it takes your dc to do their various subjects, and what times of the day they are most productive, and schedule accordingly. Here's how that looks at our house: On an activity day, I make sure they get the bulk of their stuff done in the morning. Then I schedule only one thing after lunch: the one subject I know is rather time consuming and difficult. (This will be different for each kid of course.) They've just eaten and relaxed, so they're fresh, and all the other work has (hopefully) been done in the morning, so that one thing is all they have to do in the afternoon. Then when it's done, there is nothing else to do and usually a little free time before you have to go out to the activity. While they're having their free time, I make sure I know what I'm doing for dinner. How to get your down time? I'm a night owl, & have a lot of alone time after everyone is asleep. I also take my time over breakfast & lunch. Prepare something I like, read the paper or a good book, have a cup of tea after. Gives me a lot of pleasure. The dc have caught the habit of reading at meals, so it's nice for all of us. Sometimes the activity times can be down time for you. When they're all swimming, I sit by the pool and read. When we're at the library and dd is playing chess, I spend part of the time reading to the littles, part of the time helping them find books they like, and part of the time quietly browsing the stacks by myself, which I find very calming. I hope there's something here you can use in planning your days. Good luck. :o) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaska Mom Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 The other thing/problem that I've noticed is that the more they do these things, the more they want to do!!! Yep. No answers here (sorry), just agreeing with you on that point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyWImom Posted January 21, 2009 Author Share Posted January 21, 2009 Amy in TX: Thanks for your advice-and making me feel better. Some mom's are energizer bunny's, but that is not me! We do need a better, more consistant schedule, so I'm going to try to work on that.:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfunnybunch Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 You're singing my song. I've been struggling with this very issue. I value activities and time with friends, and I want to make sure we've got time for academics. I don't have an answer. I think it just boils down to realizing we can't do it all and making the choices that are best for our family/season of life. Cat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 I would plan on a 4 day school week for starters, and maybe get 2 activities into that 5th day. Going somewhere once a week is the most I can do activity-wise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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